Thinking about running competitor Search Campaigns on Google? A competitor ad is a strategically placed ad that shows up on Google when a user types in your competitor’s name in Search. While digital marketing is a competitive landscape, this ad type dances around the issue of compliance and is considered unethical by some in the ads community.
Here are four reasons to consider running a different campaign type:
Compliance: Using competitor keywords in your ad text is against Google policy. This could lead to an account being flagged for compliance and eventually taken down. Once completely restricted, an account will not be able to serve ANY ads. As a business, you do not want to lose your Google advertising privileges.
Ad strength: Because you technically can't match your keywords to your ad text/descriptions, achieving high ad rank is exceptionally difficult. Ad rank is one of many important factors that Google values when determining when/how often to show your ad.
Misleading: Sometimes users will run ads that claim to be another company; when a user clicks this ad, they may be upset that they've been tricked into landing on a page they weren't trying to find. This is also against policy and creates an untrustworthy connotation.
The "caveat": Some businesses continue to run competitor campaigns and Google's automated system isn't perfect in catching compliance issues. If you're wondering why your ads keep getting flagged and your competitor's don't...blame AI.
Limitless’ recommendation: Try running Display Campaigns using competitor URLs - Google will take data and find people similar to those interacting with competitor URLS, serving them a relevant ad. Instead of claiming to be the competitor, your business is presented as an alternative. Your company will appear more trustworthy, giving a better impression to new potential customers. Remember, first impressions last a lifetime. If you don’t know where to start, you can always reach us via our Contact Us page!
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